ZoneAlarm Using Scareware Tactics?

[marsmimar]

Scareware is generally considered to be a service that scares users to sell products. This is usually a strategy of fake antivirus software which detects threats that are not there. The information that a computer virus was found will scare users into buying additional protection to secure their system and remove the threats from.

The popular security company ZoneAlarm has started to use scareware tactics to sell more of their products. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall users received a notification window, that informed them about a global virus alert. The notification reads:

“Global Virus Alert - Your PC may be in danger! Virus Details: Risk:high Threat name: ZeuS.Zbot.aoaq. ZeuS.Zbot.aoaq is a new Trojan virus that steals banking passwords and financial account data. Your ZoneAlarm Free Firewall provides basic protection, but this new threat requires additional security.”

Options are to see the threat details or get protection.

More ...
ZoneAlarm Global Virus Alert About ZeuS.Zbot.aoaq, Scareware At Its Best

 

[sharkman]

It freaked me out enough so that I ran Malwarebytes on my system after I saw that warning.

sharkman

 

[stormy13]

Been avoiding/ignoring and not recommending ZA for years. This is just one more reason to do so.

 

[jimbo45]

"A little learning is a Dangerous thing" ....... William Shakespeare I think sometime between 1500 and 1600 A.D

True then -- even truer today.

Sneak and scareware are both HORIBBLE and insidious tactics -- sneakware is employed hugely by sites like DRIVERMAX which offer to scan and update your drivers -- and after its found what you think you are looking for it then informs you to that the facility you want is only available for PAID registrations.

Scareware is just as bad " Your computer *may have* a potential virus etc etc.

Any computer in the known (and probably unkown too) universe *might* have a computer virus.

Safe surfing, decent firewalls, and some proper real time AV stuff like MSE should be more than sufficient.

Please don't get suckered into these types of sites.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Mellon Head]

Been avoiding/ignoring and not recommending ZA for years. This is just one more reason to do so.

Agreed. This borders on being completely unethical.

 

[richc46]

It has also been known to cause BSODs

 

[smarteyeball]

ZA was all the rage years ago - but to pull something like just goes to show how low they have really sunk.

 

[Thorsen]

Did they think no one would notice? Will all the AV's now list ZA as a threat?

This was a huge bad business decision.....

 

[Layback Bear]

It seems like the old big boys in anti virus are using the same drug. The pill is called, (get the money while you can) because here comes MSE.

 

[Borg 386]

I don't use Zone Alarm anymore, but I had several people call me this weekend asking me about the messages they were getting along the same lines.

Scareware tactics isn't a good way to do business

 

[stormy13]

Looks like they have pulled the pop up,

Check Point kills scareware-style pop-up campaign • The Register

The genie is out of the bottle, so hopefully a few more will stop using ZA.

 

[Thorsen]

Will they refund all those that did actually click on the link?

 

[niemiro]

We have had loads of support calls from users scared that their computer has become infected, and sometimes it is really quite difficult trying to explain that it is a general message, and nothing to do with their computer :sarc:

 

[Mellon Head]

We have had loads of support calls from users scared that their computer has become infected, and sometimes it is really quite difficult trying to explain that it is a general message, and nothing to do with their computer :sarc:

I hear that. The problem is that a lot of users aren't exactly savvy when it comes to their systems. No slight intended, but casual users don't really know about some of the quirky bits of computing, and much less of the dark side of the web. People the age of my parents just turn on the box and go.

They aren't really concerned with reading up to become a "power user", and don't really want to worry about it. They just want their Facebook and email. These are the kinds of people that get taken by these scareware operators, and I'm adding ZA to that list. Frightening someone who isn't really in the know into buying software just isn't cool in my book.

 

[jimbo45]

We have had loads of support calls from users scared that their computer has become infected, and sometimes it is really quite difficult trying to explain that it is a general message, and nothing to do with their computer :sarc:

I hear that. The problem is that a lot of users aren't exactly savvy when it comes to their systems. No slight intended, but casual users don't really know about some of the quirky bits of computing, and much less of the dark side of the web. People the age of my parents just turn on the box and go.

They aren't really concerned with reading up to become a "power user", and don't really want to worry about it. They just want their Facebook and email. These are the kinds of people that get taken by these scareware operators, and I'm adding ZA to that list. Frightening someone who isn't really in the know into buying software just isn't cool in my book.

Hi there

OLDER PEOPLE DO NO ABOUT COMPUTERS TOO -- I'm probably the age of your parents or even older.

MY parents are over 80 and still SAFELY using computers every day -- My dad in particular does a lot of "Real Time" stock market stuff and digital Photography.


You can't assume older people don't know anything about computers -- the biggest idiots on the web are usually the SUB teen group (11 - 15) year olds trying to tell everybody that they know EVERYTHING.

I had to post this because you can't these days stereotype "Older People" as not being computer savvy.

Smart phones and texting might be one thing but Computers DEFINITELY are within older people's remits and they usually have MORE time to analyse a problem too if one occurs.

In any case these days its rapidly becoming "Definitely Uncool" to be seen texting too much or have too many "Virtual Friends" on sites like Facebook etc.

People seem to want to make REAL contact again with REAL and not "Virtual" people --thank goodness.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Mellon Head]

Hi there

OLDER PEOPLE DO NO ABOUT COMPUTERS TOO -- I'm probably the age of your parents or even older.

MY parents are over 80 and still SAFELY using computers every day -- My dad in particular does a lot of "Real Time" stock market stuff and digital Photography.


You can't assume older people don't know anything about computers -- the biggest idiots on the web are usually the SUB teen group (11 - 15) year olds trying to tell everybody that they know EVERYTHING.

I had to post this because you can't these days stereotype "Older People" as not being computer savvy.

Smart phones and texting might be one thing but Computers DEFINITELY are within older people's remits and they usually have MORE time to analyse a problem too if one occurs.

In any case these days its rapidly becoming "Definitely Uncool" to be seen texting too much or have too many "Virtual Friends" on sites like Facebook etc.

People seem to want to make REAL contact again with REAL and not "Virtual" people --thank goodness.

Cheers
jimbo

Jimbo, please allow me to clarify.

I wasn't trying to stereotype the older generation as not knowing anything, and I'm sorry that you took it that way. I was using the example of an age group which has many casual computer users, and many of those users, like my mother, "can't be bothered" to learn all of the high powered stuff that a more advanced user of any age might know.

There are people like this in every age group. They don't care to learn anything advanced, they just want Farmville and email. When I think of people like this, I naturally think of my parents, or my in-laws, all of whom are in their late 60's and early 70's. That is their approach to computing, and to be fair, my wife is the same way.

I was trying to get the point across about the "casual user" and I used the example of my parent's generation based on my own experiences with helping them and their friends. It wasn't meant as a slight, and I feel bad that you and perhaps others might have taken it that way, and I apologise.

Cheers.

 

[F1FAN]

well, users of this forum are smart enough not to use zone alarm. It creates more problems then anything. And you really (i think) don't need extra firewall, i never have and nor does anybody i know. but maybe the normal user does and if they start using scare tatics like this, it's gonna fool the, to buy something they don't need.
Isn't that a bit of faulse advertising?